The Volvo Thing
by Immorura
Summary: It's important to know the victim's side of the story because no matter how strong people think you are, there's always something there to fear. I wanted to write this after an idea from a previous story gave me the motivation to do so. CONTAINS violence and strong language.


The Volvo Thing

Ricardo Carlos Manoso, or _Ranger_ to those who knew him well, was known for his renowned poker face. But the adorable scowl from Stephanie Plum was testing his inscrutability.

He glanced at the smoking wreckage that had once been a red 2009 Audi TTS sent to the big garage in the sky by one of Stephanie's FTAs; wanted for illegal explosives.

Whether or not this was a display from the skip, Ranger was somewhat keen to find out which of his employees at his security company, _Rangeman, _had won the bet. Whenever he had loaned a car to Stephanie, his men loved to gamble on how long it would stay in one piece with her behind the wheel.

"_Babe," _He said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "You should have expected a demonstration."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "I didn't think he'd actually have anything remotely explosive on him! Who in their right mind would carry a bag of silver salutes with them?!"

"Babe, he was _not _in his right mind."

Three of Ranger's best men, Bobby, Lester and Cal were standing by them. They all tried unsuccessfully to stifle their sniggers. One glance from their boss sorted that out.

"Take the Volvo." He said motioning to a blue Volvo V60 parked a few yards away from them. "And tell your cousin we'll be taking care of the skip."

Stephanie glowered at him for a moment before blowing out a sigh. "Okay."

She held out her hand for the keys. Ranger pulled them out of his pocket and dropped them into her palm.

The Volvo exploded.

All of them stared at the fiery debris as smoke wafted up towards the sky while a cackling of deranged laughter and running footsteps echoed from a nearby alleyway.

Ranger looked at Stephanie whose face was clean of emotion; she turned towards the Rangemen who all had painful expressions on their faces.

"Go ahead." She sighed. "Laugh,"

"Thank you." Said Lester and all three of them held their sides as they doubled over with laughter.

She looked back at Ranger who did a great job not to give as much as a smirk.

"_Babe…"_ He said as she gave him back the keys. Stephanie looked at him with hurt filled eyes before turning her gaze towards the ground. "It's just a car."

She looked back up at him again and made a small smile.

He smiled back. "By the look of it, I'm guessing it was a petrol bomb; that was no accident. I'm just glad you weren't inside the car."

Her smile brightened.

Joe Morelli came striding towards them as the sound of sirens filled the silence.

He and Ranger both nodded to each other as he placed an arm around Stephanie's waist; his hand a little too low for Ranger's liking.

The 2 men held an ancient grudge over a pathetic misunderstanding.

Ranger was given the job of finding a high-bonded and highly dangerous FTA who was tracked down to a luxury hotel on the outer skirts of New Jersey. He had asked Stephanie to help him and play the role of – in her own words – _Batman's Wonder Woman. _

They had checked into a couples' suite and played their roles well of a couple who looked completely devoted to each other - only the kissing and the hand and arm positions weren't falsely impersonated.

Morelli, whose presence at the hotel was still a mystery, had seen them walking with their arms wrapped around each other and followed them to their suite. A few foul words, punches and tackles to the floor later, they had both woken up in a hospital bed with taser punctures and Stephanie nowhere to be found.

"What was it now?" Morelli asked with a light smirk towards Stephanie.

"A Volvo V60," Ranger said tonelessly.

"And I only had to hold the keys," Stephanie muttered.

"So, no one won the bet?"

They all looked at the Rangemen.

"Not that we know of." Lester grinned, wiping away a tear as Bobby and Cal sobered themselves with sighs.

Ranger gave Morelli a hard stare. "Take Steph home. We're going to go after the skip and kick Vincent's ass for putting her at risk."

Stephanie grinned. "Don't unless I'm there to watch."

He winked at her.

"I swear, Ranger, I'll never give Stephanie another nut job to find again!" Vinnie stammered as Ranger towered over him with a dark glare.

"That's what I want to hear." He said before turning away and walking out of the office.

Connie was smiling as she packed away her things into an oversized handbag. "I told 'im he shouldn't 'ave made Steph go after the crazy son-of-a-bitch."

Ranger offered her a nod. "Make sure he never does it again."

She laughed. "Ha! Ya don't 'ave to tell me, Carlos."

The sun was setting when they both walked out the door. Ranger bid Connie good night and was about to open the door to his Porsche Turbo when he suddenly thought about what had happened that day.

He had seen many things explode:

Buildings, cars, trucks, planes…_people…._

He had told Stephanie that he was glad she wasn't in the Volvo when it turned into a burning pile of scrap metal but the thought of her _being _in the car never actually came to mind.

She would have been dead; a scorched corpse of flesh and cloth.

He would never get the chance to hold or kiss her again. He never even told her how he really felt about her.

_How much he loved her. _

Yes. He loved her.

Ranger remembered their first night together. With the intentions more for his benefit than for Stephanie's, he thought it would be a way to rid the aggravating lust that built up inside of him.

_But it wasn't lust after all. _

He stared at the reflection of himself in the car window and a revelation of understanding hit him like a punch to the face.

There was a reason why he took her under his wing when she was in debt.

There was a reason why he had lost count sending out car after car for her.

There was a reason why he stole a kiss or ran his hands all over her whenever he got the chance.

_Idiota Manoso! Tell the woman que la amas, before it is too late!_

Ranger flung open the car door, revved the engine and headed to Stephanie's apartment.

He spent a good 10 minutes staring at the steering wheel as his plan ran through his head. It had to be simple.

Yes, she might still be with the cop but at least she'd know. That's what mattered. He didn't expect her to marry him or get into a serious relationship.

Okay, she might not be so keen since she knew about his marriage with his ex-wife but he already knew about her two-timing ex-husband.

Certainly, it was going to be a big change for their friendship.

_She just has to know. That's all. _

Taking a deep breath, Ranger got out of the car and headed towards the main entrance of the lobby.

He was barely a yard away when a sharp pain hit him in the back of his forearm.

Ranger yelped and looked down to see a needle attached a silver syringe barrel with a red feathered tail sticking into his skin.

_A tranquiliser dart…_

He stared at it in disbelief before his vision blurred. His head started to spin and the muscles in his legs weakened under his sudden dead weight before he collapsed and the world turned to black.

The humming and rough jerks brought him back to consciousness. Ranger groaned as his head began to clear.

He blinked open his eyes but found he was in a dark enclosed space. He tried to sit up but his arms wouldn't move. Something tight and hard burned around his wrists dug into his back. Ranger curved his fingers over the restraints and felt the pattern of hemp rope.

Judging by his surroundings, he guessed he was in the trunk of a car. Whose car or what kind of car, he didn't know. It was too dark for him to identify.

Sometime had passed until the humming and vibrations of the engine had finally died. Ranger heard the driver's door open and slam shut before the sound of footsteps tapped against the ground, growing louder and clearer until they reached the trunk.

It opened and Ranger was greeted with the arrogant face of Joe Morelli.

"Oh good, you're awake." Morelli taunted before pulling out his gun, pointing it at Ranger's head and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

He yanked him out of the truck with the barrel digging into his skull. "Don't make a sound or I'll blow your head off…" He snarled.

Ranger scowled but made no reply.

Morelli had taken him to his home. He kicked the front door open and headed towards another door near the back of the room. He opened it and revealed the entrance to the basement.

Without warning, Morelli shoved him hard down the stairs. Ranger gritted his teeth as every inch of him was thumped by the steps.

He cried out suddenly when he heard a sickening snap and a pain like a hot axe slice to his left shin.

His clothes had ripped and he felt a warm and sticky substance slither from his left temple while his leg stuck out an unnatural angle.

He had landed with the right side of his face planted against the concrete floor. His cheek throbbed and eyes watered as he heard Morelli's cruel laugh and footsteps come towards him.

Ranger was hauled up by his hair and dragged to the middle of the basement where Morelli dropped him to the floor and kicked him on to his back.

"Morelli," Ranger growled. "What the hell you sick son-of-a-bitch?!"

Morelli smirked. "I've been thinking about what happened in that hotel. Tell me, Manoso, were you really asking my girl to help you track down a fugitive or were you trying to get lucky with her?!"

Ranger stared at him. "Fuck Morelli, that was months ago! Get over it!"

He scoffed. "I will get over it. I'll get over it when your rotting corpse is cremated!"

A hard silence filled the room. Ranger knew Morelli was possessive and proud, but even this was a shock to him.

"So what are you going to do? Shoot me and then set me on fire?"

Morelli grinned. "No. No I'm not, Manoso." He knelt down and spoke in an eerie whisper. "I'm going to go back up stairs and leave you here. And in about a week or so, I'll come back down and hopefully you'll be dead from either starvation or dehydration."

"A week?" Ranger sneered. "My men and Stephanie will find me in less than a day."

Morelli laughed as he stood back up. "You think I'm an idiot, Manoso? I'm a police detective! I know how this shit works! When I'm done, it'll be as though you've disappeared into thin air without a single trace _for your little friends to follow..."_

"My car is tracked, _bastardo!_"

"Oh, you mean the Porsche Turbo that's been towed back to Rangeman by _your_ request?"

Ranger scowled at him.

"And speaking of Stephanie, I wouldn't get my hopes up on her. You know emotional she gets. You saw her face when the Volvo blew up. She'll wonder why Batman hasn't called her or sent her another car."

He knelt down again but brought his face closer.

"She'll start blaming herself and think you've finally had enough and abandoned her. My little Cupcake will never see you again and she'll be all mine…"

An anger burned inside him like no other Ranger had felt before. Without a second thought, he spat in Morelli's face; hitting him just the below the eye.

Morelli snarled before raising his arm and brought his fist repeatedly into Ranger's head, shoulders, chest and stomach. Ranger gritted his teeth against the blows; refusing to give him the satisfaction of his pain.

Morelli leapt to his feet and started to kick him in the arms and sides but he still refused to give as much as a gasp.

Morelli turned to his broken leg and a sick sneer morphed onto his lips. Ranger froze as the cop looked at his bad limb.

Still wearing the smirk, he gave it a hard soccer kick.

Black spots appeared before his eyes as a strangled cry escaped his throat while his ribcage struggled to obtain his heavy breathing. Morelli cackled with delight as he sent a set of kicks and punches into his ribs and stomach until Ranger felt his mind separate from his body with the pain.

Finally, Morelli had fulfilled his satisfaction as he watched him struggle to breathe with a glint of accomplishment in his eye as Ranger's world slowly turned to black.

It was like his entire body had turned to lead as his mouth felt as though it had been stuffed with sawdust. Ranger struggled to swallow as his lips cracked painfully and his throat rasped in protest.

He opened his eyes but only saw darkness; the room filled with the sounds of the boiler rumbling and humming.

He focused his attention towards the stairs; his ears straining to pick up any human motion but it was several hours until he heard the sound of footsteps and the slamming of the front door.

Before he even considered thinking kidding himself that he had been in worst situations, Ranger's hope in his own liberation was hollow.

He hadn't been on a mission to take down a terrorist.

He hadn't been sent to take down an illegal drug house.

He hadn't been off to rescue young children from a life of slavery.

He had been kidnapped and thrashed by a rival from a wretched love-triangle, lying in agony on the floor with his hands tied behind him.

Ranger wasn't a big follower of his faith and he didn't always believe in miracles as his attendance to mass was very negligible.

Although he did believe in karma: _what goes around comes around. _

He and his men had saved and protected billions of people from either death or a fate much worse.

_And Stephanie._

His heart thumped painfully as he thought of her. The memories of the many times he had saved her and the many times he came so close to losing her were worse than Morelli's fists pounding every inch of his body.

But what pained him the most was, as he was left to die, he would never be able to confess his love for her.

A gnawing of throbbing regret bit at his insides as Ranger lamented how foolish he had been.

Instead of stealing kisses and groping any piece of her that he could reach, he should have told her how he loved that she made his gun smell of orange blossom.

How he loved her enthusiasm with almost everything.

How he loved her bouncy curly hair, bright blue eyes and sweet smile.

How he loved her ideas and initiatives.

How he loved her smart-ass attitude.

_How he loved her. _

_Manoso, Idiota! You've had more than enough chances to tell her and now you're too late! Maldita Sea!_ _Condenarme__al infierno_! _Condenarme__por mi__necedad__!_

There was no guessing how long he had been down in the basement.

During that uncertain amount of time, Ranger had attempted getting the circulation back in his arms a few times despite the stabs of pain that struck his leg and ribs and the ache of his useless muscles.

It had exhausted him mentally and physically.

Ranger hated feeling useless. The rope binding his wrists seemed to mock him as it dug into his back.

The physical pain of his injuries weakened him immensely; draining any renewed energy he dared to muster as the dry soreness scraped his throat like sandpaper.

He had fallen unconscious a number of times which could only be considered a small mercy, but Ranger had decided to accept his fate. He wished to fall asleep and never wake up.

His senses awakened when his ears picked up the sound of the door opening and the sound of footsteps against the stairs.

Ranger heard the light switch flick and a sudden blaze of light glowed behind his eyelids. He groaned at the discomfort and waited for Morelli's taunts before he began to finish him off.

But instead, a feminine gasp broke the silence.

"Ranger!"

It took Ranger by surprise as he thought his mind had finally betrayed him until he felt a gentle hand caress his cheek.

"_Ranger…" _His name was repeated in a painful whisper.

Slowly, he opened his eyes into slits and was met with a familiar angelic face with tear bright blue orbs.

_Stephanie. _

"_Babe…" _Ranger rasped, feeling a concoction of relief and delight pour in his chest like a warm sweet liquid.

Stephanie sprung to her feet; she ran back up the stairs to return with a large bottle of water, a first aid kit and, for some reason, a cookie.

She placed them down and carefully pulled him up to cradle his head with the crook of her arm, making him groan as his ribs protested.

He watched as she unscrewed the bottle one handed and picked it up to place it against his lips.

"Here Ranger, take a drink. You need it." She ordered.

As soon as the cold liquid slid down his throat it was hard for him to stop as he gulped down nearly half the bottle; stopping to take a breath before drinking some more.

Once his thirst had been satisfied he looked up at Stephanie.

"_Babe…" _He sighed, "Thank you…"

She smiled as she placed down the bottle. "Can you sit or stand up?"

"My leg is broken and I have a few bruised or cracked ribs but I can sit up if I lean against the wall."

Stephanie nodded and helped him into a sitting position. Ranger could feel her staring at his bound wrists as she guided him to an empty wall.

Once his back was against it, she ran back up the stairs; returning seconds later with a kitchen knife. He leant forward whilst pretending not to notice how her hands trembled slightly as she knelt behind him and began to cut at the rope.

He knew she wouldn't hurt him. Stephanie was stronger than she looked.

"I knew saving your life would pay off someday." Ranger smiled at her as the ropes fell to the floor. "I believe in karma."

She smiled back before frowning slightly. "Did…Joe….?"

A fiery hate at the mention of Morelli's name burned inside him. "Yes. He shot me with a tranquiliser in the parking lot outside of your apartment." The fire died away when he looked at her. "I guess he knew I was going to visit you."

Stephanie shook her head slightly; looking as though she couldn't take it all in. "I need to call 911. We have to get you out of here and-"

He grabbed her wrist before she could continue. "No. Then he'll know you found me. Call Tank and Bobby…" A sudden pain struck him in the chest; right into his heart. "I can't risk you getting hurt."

She blinked at him as her eyes shone with unshed tears.

Stephanie reached over to pick up the cookie and placed it on his lap. "Eat this." She ordered and ran back up the stairs while pulling her cell phone out of her pocket.

Ranger stared after her before looking down at the cookie.

Chocolate-chip; he couldn't even remember how it tasted.

But Stephanie had a point. He hadn't eaten since the tranquiliser dart sedated him and his blood sugar would be very low.

He had just finished the last crumb when she came back down with a tired look on her face as though the shock had drained her of her energy.

"They're on their way."

Ranger nodded and reached out for her as she went back up to him. She placed her delicate hand in his and he pulled her next to him without their clasp breaking.

His eyes fell to her neck where a simple yet beautiful gold locket hung against her chest. "New locket?"

Stephanie smiled. "I got it yesterday. You won't believe how I got the money for it." She laughed. "Vinnie's ass was on the line again when some high-bonded skips needed to be brought in. Since you weren't around, he had no choice but to send me and Lula after them."

Ranger felt a twinge of annoyance at Vinnie. Stephanie continued.

"But Lula was less than keen for us to go after them so I suggested we went to Rangeman and get Tank and some boys to help us."

_That's my girl. _Ranger smiled.

"First we went after a guy, big fella with a couple hundred tattoos who was wanted for GBH, but when he tried to get funny with us, Tank beat the crap out of him! Then there was your typical mafia gang wanted for armed robbery; no match for your men. After that was a…a really, and I mean _really_, scary woman who was wanted for mutilation…I won't even go there… and finally the last guy was an arsonist. Kind of like the nut who blew up the Audi and the Volvo.

I got $75,000 in the end and after I went to the bank, I stopped by a jewellery store, saw the locket and…and I just had to have it."

Ranger laughed softly before wincing painfully and holding his side as his ribs screamed at him while Stephanie opened the first aid box to clean the wound on his temple and placed a bandage over it.

She sat back to observe her handy work then looked him in the eye with fearful expression on her face. "What happened?"

He took a deep breath as the fire inside of him started to ignite. "After being shot with the tranquiliser, I woke up in Morelli's trunk with my hands bound. When he opened it, he pulled me out at gun point and told me to be quiet before forcing me into his house. When we got to the basement door, he shoved me down the stairs. That's how my leg broke."

He expected the tears to fall so he reached out and clasped her hand as she quickly wiped them off her cheeks.

"Morelli laughed and dragged me to the middle of the floor. He started taunting me about how you would never see me again or how you would think I abandoned you after the Volvo thing and how you were going to be all his. I spat at him. That pissed him off and he started to kick and punch me until I blacked out. I haven't seen him since I came round."

"_Oh Ranger…" _Her voice quivered as more tears escaped down her face.

Ranger lifted his free hand and stroked them away with his thumb. He took both of hers and brought them to his lips; kissing them tenderly as a swelling of adoration filled his heart.

He looked at her with a warm smile. "I didn't always believe in miracles, Babe. But I do now."

"But you believe in karma."

He shook his head. . "Karma is just a word for 'what go around, comes around'. Sure, I saved you and you saved me, but what were the chances of you deciding to come here and finding me before it was too late?"

Without waiting for her reply he combed his fingers into her hair and brought her closer to him until their lips touched.

Stephanie caressed his cheek as he deepened the kiss, putting everything he had in to it.

They parted for breath, smiling at each other but a scowl morphed on to Ranger's face as the last person he wanted to see stood glowering at them.

_Morelli. _

Stephanie turned and froze at the sight of him. Not a word was muttered as the basement was filled with the noises of heavy breathing.

"Cupcake." Said Morelli. "What are you doing here?"

Ranger's eyes darted from one to the other as Stephanie slowly got to her feet, her fists clenched.

"_You son of a bitch!" _She snarled, taking him by surprise as he blinked at her. "How could you do something like this?!"

He watched Morelli's face turn to stone as he stepped towards them. His eyes never left Stephanie.

"Remember what I told you, Stephanie? I told you I hated it when he got to spend more time with you than I did." He pulled out his gun and pointed it directly at Ranger.

"Now I'm going to tell you what to do. You're gonna go back upstairs with me, let my plan to let him rot down here to carry on and you're going to pretend this never happened or else your tonsil-hockey partner is going to have his head blown off."

The last thing Ranger expected was for her to stand in right in front of the gun, shielding him.

"_Over my dead body!" _ She growled. Both men stared at her with disbelief.

Morelli laughed and shook his head. "C'mon Cupcake, don't be crazy. All I want is more time with you to help you get over your first marriage. You'll soon realise that I'm the guy you should marry. I did this for you, Cupcake. I love you."

Ranger felt his eye twitch as a new rage engulfed him. But his anger was no match for Stephanie's.

"Do you really think killing the man who saved me God-knows-how-many times is going to make me want to marry you?!"

"Cupcake…"

"If you really did love me you wouldn't be keeping someone important to me to rot in your basement, Joe!"

Ranger's eyes widened at her response.

"_Important to you_… So was I right to be suspicious? Have you two been doing it behind my back?!" Morelli barked.

They both watched Stephanie take in a deep breath; Ranger knew what she was going to say and he could already feel his stupidity coming back to slap him in the face.

"We did spend some nights together when you and I had broken up. But Ranger always told me to go back and give you another chance because he thought I was safer with you than with him. It was no more than forehead kisses and hugs after that and yet you never pushed away Joyce Barnhardt or stopped talking about the women you slept with."

_You fucking prick, Morelli…_

Morelli's face was hard. "You just said he's important to you!"

Stephanie sighed. "He's one of my best friends, Joe, of course he is! All my friends are important to me and you of all people should know that."

"I really doubt _best friends_ kiss each other like the way I saw you two."

Ranger smirked as Stephanie folded her arms. "Maybe you're right Joe, maybe best friends don't kiss like that. Maybe me and Ranger aren't best friends at all…"

"…what are you saying?"

It was clear both of them hadn't expected her to say that. Ranger's heart began to beat rapidly as he willed for her to continue.

"I think you already know what I'm saying. Maybe, despite Ranger's advice, I've been wasting my time… Looking back, I don't know why I even decided to stay with you."

"Cupcake, be careful what you say…"

"You took advantage of me when I was 16 on a bakery floor and I didn't see you for 3 years until I ran you over! I even helped save your sorry ass by clearing your name when you were accused of murder and how do you thank me? By trying to hump me every time we're in the same room whether I'm conscious or not, blowing your top when you're pissed and giving me a hard time about my job along with trying to change who I am to meet your needs!"

"Stephanie, I'm warning you…"

She ignored him and looked over her shoulder to smile at Ranger before turning back to Morelli.

"Even if Ranger doesn't think he's the type to hold a relationship, he's still treated me better than you have, Joe."

Morelli's face twitched.

"He's been injured God-knows-how-many times from saving me and yet he still never thinks twice about putting his neck on the line if I'm in danger and goes out of his way to make sure I'm protected. Despite all the cars that have blown up, he's never left me to cope with the Buick or gives me a hard time about it. And, to top it all off, he never forces me into anything or expects me to change who I am!"

"_Babe…" _Ranger whispered in disbelief after a heartbeat of silence.

Stephanie looked at him again. "It's true, Ranger." She faced Morelli again. "I'm disappointed in you, Joe. I thought it was bad after you two fought in that hotel but…but I could never believe you would even think about doing something like this. What did you expect to gain from it?

"Didn't you think about what you would have put Ranger's family and me through? That their son, grandson, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and my friend, mentor and saviour suddenly disappeared without a trace? You know he has a daughter too; you were involved with investigating her kidnapping. You didn't think about how she would never know why her father started to stop visiting and providing for her."

Even this took Ranger by surprise. He hadn't even thought about what his family would go through or how it would affect his daughter.

"Admit it, Joe. You didn't do this for me. You did this for your own selfish reasons. This doesn't show you love me, this shows how avaricious you are." Stephanie took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry Joe, but now that I've seen your true colours, I can never marry you and I don't care for you anymore. It's over – for good this time."

A penetrating silence hit the basement. Ranger couldn't believe it. There was finally a chance to be with the woman he loved and it only took 2 cars to explode and for him to be kidnapped.

The happy thought was short lived when Morelli stepped closer towards Stephanie. "I do love you, Stephanie." He said quietly. "But I won't stop at anything until I get what I want from you."

He reached for her throat.

"Freeze! Put the gun down and keep your hands where we can see them!"

They all jumped at Tank's cry. He stood at the foot of the stairs with Bobby, Lester, Hal and Cal; all scowling with their guns aimed at Morelli.

Morelli grabbed Stephanie with his arm around her neck and pointed his gun at her head. "Any of you move and I'll blow her head off! Put the guns down!"

No one moved a muscle as Ranger felt every vein in his body throb with boiling blood.

"I mean it! Put 'em down or she's dead!"

Tank was the first to move. "C'mon boys, do as he says. We can't risk Steph getting hurt."

The others followed with looks of remorse.

Bobby stepped forward, hands in the air. "Listen to me, Joseph. You know threatening Steph's life isn't going to solve anything. She's done nothing wrong."

Ranger didn't miss Stephanie wince as Morelli pressed the barrel of the gun harder to her head. _"Done nothing wrong? _She just rejected me for Manoso!"

"That's no reason for you to have her blood on your hands. You've brought enough on yourself already. If you really care for Steph, let her go and we'll talk about this."

A malicious laugh escaped Morelli's lips. "Do you think I was born yesterday? I'm a freakin' cop! I know what you're trying to do! You can't try pullin' the bargaining crap on me!"

"Be reasonable, Morelli." Hal said. "You've already kidnapped and assaulted Carlos. Isn't it already bad enough that you're holding a gun on the woman who cleared your name? You would've been rotting in a jail cell a long time ago if it wasn't for her."

She winced again as he tightened his hold on her. "You think bringing that up will change my mind? Talk all you want! There's nothing you can say that'll make me drop the gun from her head!"

Stephanie risked a glance towards Ranger. The fear and panic in her eyes sent a blast of fury inside of him like flammable liquid added to a bonfire.

"I've offered everything to Stephanie." Morelli continued. "She knows I'm the guy she should have married instead of whoring herself to Manoso. She kept on telling me that she wasn't over her first marriage. Bullshit! I know the real reason, Cupcake. If you married me that meant you'd never get to screw around with Manoso again!"

He smirked before bringing his lips closer to her ear. "But remember Steph, we're both Catholic. We'd have to marry if you were pregnant with my child…"

That did it.

Without a second thought, Ranger leapt to his feet and grabbed Morelli around the neck. He twisted his arm that held the gun and Lester sprang forward to pull Stephanie out of Morelli's grasp while Bobby, Tank, Cal and Hal rushed over to them.

Morelli glared over his shoulder at Ranger with his finger on the trigger.

And then came the gun shot.

There was no stopping the roar of pain that escaped his throat. Ranger fell to the floor, clutching his broken leg as he felt fresh blood seep through his fingers. His face was drenched with sweat as he gasped for lung fulls of air.

"Ranger!"

He felt gentle hands against his head and noticed he was against Stephanie's lap as he looked up at her with tired eyes.

She brushed away the plastered strands of hair off his forehead while he felt another set of hands tearing at his jeans.

"It looks like it's shattered a shin bone. That's not too bad but I noticed his leg was already bent at an odd angle when we arrived." He heard Bobby say.

Stephanie nodded. "He told me Morelli pushed him down the stairs and broke his leg. He might have broken ribs too."

Ranger felt his senses begin to numb. He kept his eyes on Stephanie, ignoring the response from Bobby as he focused on the face he loved so much.

"_Babe…" _He whispered, moving his hand over hers.

She looked down and smiled that stubborn smile of hers. "You're going to be ok, Ranger." She kissed his forehead. "Bobby's got it handled. You'll pull through…You always pull through…"

Without breaking the contact from her beautiful blue orbs and using the little strength he had left, he wrapped his fingers around her wrist and brought the back of her hand to his lips.

His time was running out.

He could feel it.

But he wasn't going anywhere without her knowing as his eyelids began to close.

"_Babe…I love you…" _

And then the world turned to black once more.

The sounds of beeping and the smell of disinfectant were the first to greet his senses. Ranger slowly opened his eyes to find himself alone in a room lying in a hospital bed.

His broken leg was casted and hung in a sling, his bare torso was wrapped in a sturdy brace and an IV line was attached to the back of his hand.

Large bruises covered parts of his chest and stomach along with some scratches and fresh scars.

"Well Boss, I know you don't believe in miracles but you damn well better now."

He looked up to see Bobby smiling at him in the door way before walking up to him, hands in his pockets.

"It nearly scared the shit out of us when you went into shock. How're you feeling?"

Ranger gave a light scoff. "Like I had the crap beaten out of me and got shot in the leg. How long was I out for?"

"Not long, just over a day. At first I thought it was the blood loss that made you pass out, but when we heard what happened to you, it's more likely the amount of pain did the job. Also, I've got some good and some bad news, which first?"

"Good news."

"Good news is you've only got bruised ribs; none are broken and the bullet only skinned your shin bone. Your leg was broken in 2 places before that anyway. Bad news is, you're gonna be sore for some time and you're gonna have a hell of a lot tablets to take while they heal."

Ranger hated taking tablets but that was the last thing on his mind.

"Where's Stephanie? Is she okay?"

Bobby avoided his eye as he sucked air through his teeth. "Lester said she took it badly when we wheeled you off. He and Tank brought her back to Rangeman to recover for a while and to keep her safe. She's gonna make a statement against…you-know-who."

Ranger resisted the urge to spit. "Where is he?"

"Behind bars, Boss. Me and the others provided a statement which will keep him there long enough. But you'll have to provide one too if we want his ass to rot in jail before his court date is due."

He nodded and relaxed against the bed as he breathed out an obleeged sigh.

Morelli was behind bars and could no longer intervene. Stephanie declared she no longer cared for him and Ranger told her his true feelings for her in the brink of time. And he still might have had a chance with her.

Ranger definitely believed in miracles now.

2 weeks had passed and Morelli was permanently out of the picture.

The statements and powerful evidence found in the truck and basement were more than enough to prove his guilt. But Ranger would have been happier if he wasn't rigid from the dull ache in his ribs and the annoying walking cast strapped to his leg.

He was sitting in his apartment with it propped up against the coffee table. Ella, his housekeeper, had been and gone to make sure he had taken his tablets and was getting enough to drink.

He hadn't seen or heard from Stephanie during that time. He had asked Lester for the full story but it was no different from what Bobby had told him.

If she was still shaken from the ordeal, Ranger thought it would be better if she had some time to recover despite his craving for her presence.

A knock came from his door.

"_Enter." _Ranger answered bluntly thinking it was Bobby to make sure he had had his medication.

But instead, Stephanie walked in.

"Babe…" He smiled as she approached the sofa.

Her cheeks burned as she smiled back. "Hey…"

He got up and heaved the blasted cast with him towards her; not missing the concern in her eyes.

Ranger wrapped his arms around her; Stephanie did the same whilst laying her head over his heart, holding him as though her life depended on it.

"I was hoping you would stop by. I didn't want to bother you in case you were still recovering." He kissed her forehead before placing a hand against her cheek. "I was worried about you. Lester said you took it badly after I passed out."

Stephanie nodded but said nothing.

"Babe, are you alright? You haven't said a word."

A smirk appeared on her lips. "Yes I have. I said 'hey'."

_Still my smart ass girl..._ Ranger thought as he smiled and shook his head. "How have you been after what happened? I haven't seen you for 2 weeks."

She shrugged. "I'm okay. I just had a gun pointed to my head- nothing new. But…But I was scared."

A new anger burned inside of him. _"Of Morelli?" _

"No, I knew him too well to be afraid of him. I was scared of…of…" She closed her eyes and let out a small sigh.

Ranger stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Scared of what, Babe?"

Her eyes stayed closed. "…Of losing you."

It was like time had stood still. He didn't dare say anything in case he had misheard her but the thumping of his heart grew with delight.

"Do you remember what happened before you fell unconscious?" Stephanie asked with her eyes still closed.

Ranger's smile brightened as he slid his hand from her cheek to hold her chin with a thumb and forefinger. "Stephanie, look at me."

He watched her take in a silent breath before she unveiled her blue spheres. Still smiling, he brought down his lips onto hers.

Her hands slid up his chest and her arms entwined around his neck while his free arm slid around her waist before letting go of her chin to cradle the back of her head – loving the feeling of her silky curls between his fingers.

They parted for breath with their foreheads touching. "Of course I do. I never thought I could love again after marrying Julie's mother and it wasn't until you found me, with my life hanging by a thread, I realised I was wrong."

Stephanie blinked at him. He continued.

"At first, when I asked to spend the night with you, I thought it was nothing more than lust I was feeling. I thought if I could get it out of my system then things would go back to the way they were; I would be the man who showed no emotion and bring down scumbags who don't show their faces in the courtrooms."

Ranger placed his hands on either side of her face so to lock the contact between the brown and blue. Stephanie placed her hands over his to keep him in place as he kissed her forehead again.

"But after that night, I realised I was wrong. All those times after I saved you, I was scared to death that I was so close to losing you."

_And it only took the bastard I sent her back to kidnap me and leave for dead to realise that. _Ranger closed his eyes and shook his head slightly.

"Then again, I thought I already had when I told you to go back to Morelli. That was when I decided to keep those feelings aside."

He looked at her to see her eyes were shining with fresh tears.

"There was nothing more I wanted than to have you by side every morning when I woke up. But then I thought; how could I with the way I run my life? The thought of my old FTAs going after you to get to me made me sick…it still does.

"When you were with Morelli, the best I could do was steal kisses and hold you in my arms whenever I got the chance, but I was too big of a coward to tell you how much you mean to me. After Morelli kidnapped me, my biggest fear wasn't dying on his basement floor,"

With everything his heart was full of, he kissed her again. After they parted, Ranger gazed at her with a deep yearning as he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

"I feared I would never get to tell you, that I love you." The tears came cascading down as she stared at him with wonder; he wiped them away. "I do Stephanie. I love you."

Stephanie smiled and went on tiptoe to kiss him.

"You know how you said that you believed in karma when I found you?" She sniffed, resting his head against him with her arms around his waist.

"Yes."

"What goes around comes around, right?"

"Right, I saved you a number of times and you saved me that day."

"You saved me on that day too, Ranger."

Ranger frowned slightly. All he did was get shot in the leg. "…Babe?"

Stephanie peered up at him.

"You knew Joe wanted me to marry him. If he escaped with me at gun point and then…you know…and…and got me pregnant, I wouldn't have a choice. You know what my mother and his family would be like if I was carrying his baby out of wedlock." She explained, caressing his face which immediately extinguished his fury at the idea. "You saved me from a horrible marriage and life with him. I know it would have been worse than my first one when I was married to Orr."

He smiled a bright smile he gave to very few. "I never thought about that."

She blushed as she looked down at her locket before meeting his eye again. "Remember when I told Joe you were important to me?"

_As if I'd ever forget that…. _

He nodded.

Her cheeks darkened as she held the little gold heart. "Well…I thought about putting a picture of someone close to me- someone I love - inside my locket. I had two people in mind but one of them turned out to be an asshole. So…"

Ranger held his breath as she unclasped it and felt nothing but pure adoration pound in his ribcage.

She had put in a photo her niece took of them with his arms wrapped around her so she leant in to him with a comfortable contented smile on her lips.

He looked back at her before taking her face in his hands again. "I love you, Stephanie."

Stephanie closed the locket and placed her arms around his neck. "I love you, Carlos."

And their lips met once more.


End file.
